Books to Help You Achieve Your New Year's Resolutions

January is almost over, which means approximately 90% of New Year’s resolutions have been abandoned worldwide. Don’t let yours be one of the casualties! There’s still time to rescue your resolution — if you call for backup. These handy how-to books will get your New Year’s resolutions back on the straight and narrow, and you might even have some fun doing it. Good luck!

If you’re trying to clean your clutter…

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter
Author: Margareta Magnusson
The Konmari Method is so two years ago. Now it’s all about Swedish death cleaning! The idea is that at some point in your life — say, in January — you make a conscious effort to clear out the clutter and embrace mindful minimalism before it’s too late and you saddle your grieving relatives with posthumously clearing out all your junk. Margaret Magnusson guides the reader in sorting through their stuff with an eye to what will be truly treasured by future generations, and what can be gotten rid of. (This book was also featured in our Winter 2018 Book Preview.)

If you’re trying to cook more and/or eat better…

Healthyish: A Cookbook with Seriously Satisfying, Truly Simple, Good-For-You (but Not Too Good-For-You) Recipes for Real Life
Author: Lindsay Hunt
Sure, everybody swears they’re going to eat healthier when they’re groaning from post-holiday bloat. But it’s easy to get discouraged when your virtuous intentions faceplant directly into a busy schedule. Lucky for us all, there’s Healthyish. Author Lindsay Maitland Hunt is a recipe developer who has worked for Real Simple, Country Living, and Food & Wine, so she knows what’s realistically possible on a weeknight when you’re tired, hungry, and looking longingly at takeout menus. Her recipes (both vegetarian and meaty) are filling and flavorful, with normal ingredients you can get at regular grocery stores. There’s even a separate section for snacks. As I looked through this cookbook, I realized several of the recipes sounded eerily familiar — as in, they’re already go-to recipes I tore out from those very magazines. Then I noticed I had flagged pretty much every single page, so now I’m just going to make everything, cover to cover. How many cookbooks can you say that about?

If you want to start keeping a bullet journal…

Essentials Dot Matrix Notebook, A5 size (Bullet Journal)
Do you want to be more organized? Do you fantasize about corralling your whole messy life into a neatly bound book of to-do lists that you can triumphantly cross out one after another? Well, bullet journaling might be for you. Sure, people get fancy with their doodles, but at its heart, it’s a tool for tracking your time and tasks. It’s not as expensive as you might think, either. You can get a basic dot-grid notebook like this one for about $10, and find a free starter guide, FAQs and templates at the official bullet journal website. If you want to get colorful, pair it with this affordable 10-pack of Sharpie color pens for all of your obsessive color-coding needs. (I swear by Sharpie pens and use them every day myself.)

If you want to get your financial act together…

The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner’s Guide to Getting Good with Money
Authors: Chelsea Fagan,‎ Lauren Ver Hage
OK, I know, financial planning isn’t as fun as cooking or journaling. But it’s so important! Whether you’re just starting out living on your own, trying to work your way out of debt, or (lucky you) debt-free and figuring out how to invest, this book — based on a popular blog — has a lighthearted approach and a non-preachy tone. Being good with money affects every part of your life, from how you go clothes shopping to how often you cook at home vs. ordering takeout. It doesn’t have to be scary — learn the tools, set a budget, and achieve your financial goals in 2018!